Frequent Questions

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT 2017 ZSA

In the next few days, applicants to the 2017 Zombie Scholars Academy, and 2017 Zombie Teachers Academy, will be notified about the cancellation of this summer’s programs. Colleges and Universities throughout Missouri were notified in January of significant withholdings in funding by the state as a result of revenue shortfalls and the need to balance the state budget. Additional cuts to higher education are anticipated in the next fiscal year. After careful contemplation, it was determined that in the present budgetary climate the academy could not provide the ideal balance of staff and students required to make the exceptional experience we have come to love these past several years. We are currently evaluating strategies that would allow for the “reanimation” of the program in summer 2018 while adapting to the more challenging budgetary climate. We regret any convenience this change in plans may cause students and their families. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Kevin Minch, Associate Provost

Jared Young, Coordinator of Summer Academies and Institutes

The Zombie Scholars Academy is a summer learning experience like you’ve never seen before! In one fast-paced week you’ll take great leaps forward in your problem solving and leadership skills, learn a lot about fascinating new topics, and make lots of new friends doing it. And if you think the Academy’s name tells you everything you need to know – think again! ZSA is a unique academic program that takes the unprecedented interest young people have in the thrilling – and often humorous – fiction of a zombie apocalypse and turns that energy into an engaging vehicle for learning about some of society’s most pressing needs.

Explore Science, Literature, and Leadership

We enjoy fantastic stories for a reason. Dystopian novels and movies like the Hunger Games, V for Vendetta, Total Recall, Fahrenheit 451 or The Planet of the Apes make us think about a world that might be. The fundamental reason why we love these stories so much is that they provoke creative thought about REAL problems we face.

Put Your Critical Thinking Skills into Overdrive

These stories ask us to imagine what we would do in a crisis, what science would do to help us, and how we’d solve problems without the benefit of the resources we take for granted. In short, these stories turn on that part of our brain that makes us think most critically. Because the subject matter is fictional, we can enjoy that creative experience that much more.

The Zombie Scholars Academy takes this idea and turns it into a dynamic, one-week residential summer learning experience, exposing students to great opportunities in biology, mathematics, creative writing, social science, group leadership and problem solving. We encourage you to explore these pages to discover more about this incredible experience.